


Key

by QueenOfNewOrleans22



Series: The Silent Cries [20]
Category: Guns N' Roses
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Mild Angst, Moving On, Past Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:20:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25962727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenOfNewOrleans22/pseuds/QueenOfNewOrleans22
Summary: A late night conversation, and a gift.
Relationships: Duff McKagan/Slash
Series: The Silent Cries [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1823191
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	Key

"What's the one thing you regret most?" Slash asked. 

Duff grumbled, turned over, and narrowed his eyes. The room was too dark to fully make faces out, but Duff had a vague idea of where Slash was, and stared pointedly at the face in the darkness. "It's in the middle of the night, why are you asking me this?" Duff asked, but it was a moot point. This happened every so often - one of them was unable to sleep, and asked pointless questions because there was no point suffering if it was alone. It was almost a routine at this point, just like everything else in their lives. 

The clock read 5:03 in bold neon numbers. There was a minute where going back to bed seemed like the best idea, but Duff was already awake, and, hey, it'd been awhile since they've talked in the way too early morning. "Dumping water on my friend's head back in elementary school." He answered, though there were more extreme, serious things to be regretted, bringing them up so late at night just didn't feel right. Slash laughed, and Duff definitely knew that he wasn't getting back to bed just yet. "What about you?" 

There was no response for a long minute. Duff kicked off the blankets because it was too hot in the room to keep them on, and waited. He could see the ceiling fan, spinning round and round, and the light that streamed in from the window. "Not moving past Axl." Slash finally said, and Duff turned toward him sharply, eyebrows drawn, suddenly with a million thoughts in his head. 

Slash must've realized his mistake, because he hurried to rectify it. It wasn't anything serious, really, but Duff had been sensitive about their whole relationship ever since they'd rejoined the band. "No, not like that! It was just more...moving past what he'd done." Slash rolled onto his side, hovering over Duff in the darkness. "I was running from it all, trying to forget when I needed to face it headfirst, y'know?" 

_Oh._

Duff knew. Oh, how he knew. Running away, when all he'd needed to do was confront his demons and banish them. "Yeah. Yeah, I do. What do you think? You think that...you moved past it?" 

Was it even possible to move past everything that had happened? Duff didn't know. He wasn't a goddamn psychiatrist, wasn't even qualified to have played the mediator for years. All his knowledge of the subject came from the internet. 

Reaching out, Duff began to trace patterns on the inside of Slash's wrist, his finger dancing across delicate bone. 

"Yeah. There's just one more thing." 

As quickly as if he was running from fire, Slash slipped out of bed and pattered around the room. His hair was messy as ever, figure bent as he ruffled through his duffel bag, which sat on a chair. Duff watched, still a little dazed with sleep.

Years had gone by since they had first met, two kids who had their whole lives ahead of them. Duff had bit his tongue when he should've split his heart, and Slash had jumped into a romance that wasn't what it seemed, and precious years had been wasted. They were older but not any wiser, sober but not any less adventurous. It had been a whirlwind life for both of them, and this is where the tornado had dropped them - a hotel with no name. 

It felt just like old times. 

Slash walked back over and practically jumped into bed. Duff grunted but didn't say anything as Slash sat there for a minute, the sheet bunched up around him, as if considering. The clock was ticking, but time seemed to stand still. Duff could see Slash's clenched fist, and his curiosity became a little more noticeable. 

With a small smile, Slash dropped whatever he'd been holding onto Duff's bare chest and then fell onto his back with a breathless little laugh, his curls spread out around his head. 

Duff picked up the object on his chest and stared at it. 

It was a guitar pick, blue, his favorite color, personalized with a key painted on the flat surface.

Slash wasn't a romantic person, it just wasn't in his personality, but it worked. Duff smiled, looked at where the younger man was, awaiting the expected response with as much patience as he could muster. They had been through a lot, yes. Drugs and alcohol and violence, all combined into one deadly weapon, but it felt...okay, now. Sober and safe, away from prying eyes. 

All his life, Duff had felt like something was wrong in his life. 

Now, everything felt right. 

"How long have you had this?" Duff asked. It felt important, for some reason. Slash hummed, "Oh, a few years now." He replied. 

Duff didn't ask why _now_ had felt like the right time to give it to him. 

Duff didn't ask why it had taken so long. 

Because, in a way, he understood.

He understood perfectly.

Switching positions, Duff lay right beside Slash, staring up at the ceiling and at the fan, knowing that, in just a few hours, they'd have to get right back up and appease people they didn't know. Duff only felt truly happy when the guitarist was right by his side, and damn all the cliches, the world only truly spun when Slash was happy. 

They'd waited too long for this moment, but it was now or never. 

"I love you." Duff said quietly. It felt like a lifetime of emotions, all entwined into three words. "I've always loved you." 

Slash turned, burying his face in Duff's neck, chest rising and falling in the steady rhythm of breathing. "I love you, too." He replied, and it sounded like a promise, a prayer, a devotion. "More than you know, Duff."

Oh, he knew. Duff could feel it as he ran his hand over Slash's back, could feel it with every breathe.

They drifted off to sleep soon enough. Duff waited until he was sure that the man beside him had drifted off before he did the same, a long held habit of his. Life was a cruel mistress, but, sometimes, she gave happiness. The world wasn't as horrible as it seemed, sometimes. Unfair as it was, Duff could see, now, the purpose of it all. 

The last thought before he fell asleep was so simple, yet so captivating. 

_The key to a jaded heart._

**Author's Note:**

> The end! This is the final entry to the series. I am irrationally sad right now, but, hey, I'm proud of myself for doing this. I will be continuing to write for Guns N' Roses, and maybe, one day, I'll expand on this series, but, for now, this is the ending to my very first series.


End file.
